Did You Check MACRIS?

While attending Salem State University for my undergraduate degree in public history, I was fortunate to secure an internship in the archives of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, the nation’s oldest national historic site. One of my key tasks was digitizing and identifying their image collection, which includes thousands of photographs, slides and postcards. I spent countless hours online toggling between Historic Aerials and Google Street View, painstakingly shifting my gaze between modern-day Salem and faded black-and-white images of a cobblestone-clad city frozen in time. I searched for matching façades, distinctive chimneys, anything to help confirm the location of the undated, untitled mystery photo before me.

It was during this internship that my mentor, Dr. Emily Murphy, curator and park historian, introduced me to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, better known as MACRIS. I still remember the day she called out to me as I pressed my face against the window, peering down Derby Street in search of a match. “Did you check MACRIS?” she asked. “What is MACRIS?” I replied.

Later, as I scrolled through thousands of images of historic properties in the database, I found myself exclaiming, “How have I never heard of this!?” It might sound dramatic to say a database changed your life, but what if it did?

With the support of organizations across the commonwealth, the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has been compiling inventories of historic properties for over half a century. Their first inventory forms were introduced in 1966. Today, the MHC maintains an online database (mhc-macris.net) containing over 200,000 records from more than 350 municipalities across Massachusetts. This extensive resource serves homeowners, genealogists, cultural heritage organizations, architects, scholars and anyone interested in the state’s built environment.

In the years since my internship, I have consulted MACRIS almost daily. The database’s powerful search options allow users to filter by architectural style (such as Victorian), by use type (like churches) and even by historic name, making it possible to identify properties from phrases scribbled on the backs of old photographs.

In 2020, MACRIS introduced a new search feature called MACRIS Maps, which allows researchers to view available inventories by geographic location. This tool is especially valuable when records for a specific property are incomplete or missing, as it enables users to explore neighboring parcels that may have once been part of the same property and could be better documented. It was a game changer.

In October 2024, when I accepted the position of Sandwich town archivist, I spent my first days much like any archivist would, apprehensively opening every box and drawer to see what awaited me. As I peered into a file cabinet in the Reading Room, I was greeted by rows of white envelopes, neatly typed and arranged in perfect alphabetical order. Ah, order, not chaos! I pulled one envelope and carefully extracted a very familiar document: FORM B–Building.

In all my years using MACRIS, I had never stopped to consider where these documents might actually reside. I had assumed they were kept, immaculately, within the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s files. But here they were — in Sandwich — with their black-and-white, mid-century snapshots, circled descriptors and handwritten notes.

Inventory forms for the Smith-Hoxie House. SANDWICH TOWN ARCHIVES

While the Massachusetts Historical Commission was building its inventory program, Cape Cod was undergoing a transformation of its own. In the mid-20th century, the Cape drew increased attention thanks to the presidential spotlight, a period of national prosperity and the expansion of highways. These factors attracted tourists and a growing influx of both seasonal and year-round residents. As a result, Sandwich’s population soared from about 1,500 in 1950 to nearly 20,000 by the year 2000, and a number of civic organizations soon followed to serve the expanding community.

The Sandwich Historical Commission was established in March 1971, with Russell A. Lovell Jr. serving as chairman, Dr. David F. Wright as secretary and members Mary L. Shaw, C. Ruggles Smith, Burton J. Jones Jr., W. Daniel Cullity Jr. and W. Gordon Swan. The group met monthly at the Sandwich Public Library. Their mission was “... to prepare an accurately researched inventory of structures, buildings and sites of historic value …” They began inventorying properties almost immediately, starting in East Sandwich, working their way from the edge of Barnstable to Spring Hill. The area was of special interest following a petition in 1970 to create a commission to help preserve the village.

Despite this information, it is difficult to discern the earliest inventory conducted. The first entries in MACRIS are along Route 130 in Forestdale. They are undated and contain little information beyond a cursory assessment of the architectural style and construction of those properties.

A dilapidated home dating to around 1790 on Old County Road, documented by Timothy A. Cross in April 1972, is among the earliest detailed records. Cross lamented:

“It is sad to see one of our ancient ¾ bow-roof houses in the process of demolition.

This one seems to be beyond saving. The owner claims that the land deed specifies

the house may only [be] passed down within the family, not sold. He has since

abandoned the property and allowed a local wrecker to remove parts at will. An

original 1879 deed from Zenas Wright to Francis Bodfish was found in the house…

The features of the house all appear to be original.”

211 Old County Road in East Sandwich as it appeared in 1972. SANDWICH TOWN ARCHIVES

The structure is now gone; only its record endures.

As the Historical Commission’s work progressed, so did the depth of its inventories. What began as basic notations on standard forms eventually expanded into comprehensive records, some, like the Smith-Hoxie House, filling five envelopes with research. The MACRIS file for the historic home at 18 Water Street offers only a glimpse into the trove of materials gathered by the Sandwich Historical Commission. Their files are brimming with newspaper clippings, brochures, maps, timelines and photographs. Scattered across these documents are dates ranging from 1637 to 1725, written, circled and annotated, evidence of a determined researcher’s effort to unravel the elusive history of this early Sandwich home.

These inventories, along with many others compiled by the Sandwich Historical Commission, were deposited in the Sandwich Town Archives sometime after its establishment in 1977, likely at the request of Russell A. Lovell Jr., who became the town’s first archivist. Today, these Asset Files are frequently consulted by homeowners, researchers and members of the Historical Commission alike. In 1994, they made their online debut when Sandwich was added to the MACRIS database. The town now boasts more than 1,000 entries — and counting!

Next time you’re online, take advantage of this incredible resource or, better yet, make an appointment to visit me at the Sandwich Town Archives and explore the files in person!

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Jen Ratliff is the Sandwich town archivist. The Sandwich Town Archives is supported by the Friends of the Sandwich Town Archives, a dedicated, all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to supporting and promoting the archives’ collections and the rich, diverse history of the Town of Sandwich. Learn more at fostasandwich.com